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Scottish Plant Owners Association (SPOA) publishes its 2025 Annual Review
The Scottish Plant Owners Association (SPOA) has published its Annual Review for 2025, featuring key achievements of the year, as well as highlighting the £6.4bn economic contribution of the Scottish plant industry to the UK economy.
Speaking about the Annual Review, President David Jarvie said: “Compiling the Annual Review, I am proud and incredibly grateful to the Executive Committee for everything the SPOA achieved in 2025. All members of the Executive Committee are volunteers with a shared commitment to drive innovation and growth, and maintain Scotland’s position as a leader in the plant industry.
“We are publishing this Annual Review shortly after ScotPlant 2026 where informal discussions with members and non-members alike only served to highlight the challenges the industry continues to face, not least in addressing the skills shortage with an estimated 18,000 additional workers needed within the next five years to meet demand. The SPOA will continue to promote the plant industry as a career path and work with CITB to raise the standards of apprenticeships and funding for apprenticeships.”
Highlights of the Annual Review
Sub committee working groups
In a significant move to better represent members on key issues affecting the plant industry, the SPOA introduced sub committee working groups in 2025, each with a dedicated chairperson and clear set of objectives. Amongst the sub committee working groups are Training and Skills Development, chaired by John Sibbald with the aim of delivering relevant training for members throughout the year; Research and Digitisation, chaired by Gail McEwen, with the aim of conducting industry research on digital transformation and communicating with members; Policy, Sustainability and Decarbonisation, chaired by Mark Anderson, with the aim of ensuring that the SPOA represents members and the wider Scottish plant industry before Scottish and UK Governments in terms of proposed changes to legislation affecting members as well as any changes or significant developments with regard to sustainability and decarbonisation; and CITB, chaired by Gail McEwen, set up to engage with CITB to raise the standards of apprenticeships and funding for apprenticeships.
Business Property Relief (BPR) and Agricultural Property Relief (APR)
Announced without consultation in the Budget in October 2024, changes to BPR and APR left family businesses in the plant industry facing inheritance tax of 20 per cent on assets worth over £1million from April 2026. During 2025 the SPOA responded to the HMRC consultations, MSP and MP requests, attended lobbying meetings and spoke to the media to raise awareness of the impact of this legislation and lobby for the following:
- Alignment of the IHT liability with a cash crystallisation (sale/disposal) event within a seven-year period of transfer.
- Removal of the CGT uplift on transfer of privately owned shares so that if the business is sold at a later date, there is an increased tax liability.
Youth Sponsorship
The SPOA Youth Sports Sponsorship programme to support under-16s sports clubs across Scotland was a huge success in 2025, with six sports teams and groups from across Scotland each receiving £1,000 towards new strips or training tops.
Launched in his first week as President, David Jarvie is proud of the initiative: “The Youth Sports Sponsorship programme is entering year two. Many of our members are involved in youth sports in their local communities in lots of different ways, from coaching to providing transport to games or providing financial support. It’s often a talking point when we get together along with the lack of support for grassroots sport for young people in Scotland.
“The SPOA is ideally placed to help. We have members from Shetland to Selkirk and everywhere in between. We are asking our members to get the word out and encourage youth sports clubs in their communities to apply for funding. It can be any sport from basketball to ballet, football to ultimate frisbee. All applications will be considered.”
Membership survey
The Annual Review also includes the results from the membership survey conducted in 2025, which found that over 60% of members are likely to recommend SPOA membership to other businesses in the plant industry. Other feedback, including suggested initiatives or benefits will be considered by the Executive Committee for potential introduction in 2026/27.
You can read the Annual Review in full here.